Commentaire 103 – commentaires et rétroaction

John Mombourquette

Attached is a written copy of the submission that I will be delivering to the Commission on Friday the 28th on behalf of the London North Centre Federal New Democratic Party EDA.

Regards,

John

Overview

My name is John Mombourquette, and I am the President of the London North Centre Federal New Democratic Party Electoral District Association. The following presentation is on behalf of our association executive. As a bit of personal background, I have been a resident of London since 1978, and have a 37 year background as a teacher and educational administrator, during which time I have had the privilege of serving communities within the boundaries of each of the four current London electoral districts.

Our Association would like to thank the members of the Electoral Boundary Commission for their hard work and dedicated public service. We also appreciate the Commission's focus on reducing population distribution inequities among Ontario ridings. However, we strongly believe that the current proposals, as they stand, will significantly undermine communities of identity within the City of London.

As the Commission knows, London is a fast-growing city of nearly 425,000 people. Under the present structure, London has three urban ridings contained within its boundaries (London-Fanshawe, London North Centre, and London West) and one rural/urban riding (Elgin-Middlesex-London). The Commission's proposed changes undermine a distinctive urban voice for the City by reducing these urban ridings from three to two. To achieve these changes, the Commission's proposal will see established urban communities divided between ridings in an ad hoc fashion, and in the case of the proposed London Northeast riding, two un-related population centres (urban East London and rural Thames Centre) will be joined together. We believe that this new boundary will present serious challenges for voter engagement and community voice in future elections

Recommendations to the Commission

The London North Centre Federal New Democratic Party EDA proposes four recommendations to the Commission:

Recommendation 1:

That the City of London continue to be represented by a minimum of three urban seats within the city boundaries, as has been the case for the past 25 years.

Recommendation 2:

That the Commission consider that Londoners, as citizens in one of the fastest growing cities in Ontario, would face engagement and participation challenges with two urban ridings and two super rural/urban ridings.

Recommendation 3:

Where possible to avoid voter confusion, the Commission should keep historical riding names such as London West, London-Fanshawe, and Elgin-Middlesex-London.

Recommendation 4:

That the Commission should in the future consider a longer consultation process, as proceeding during a municipal election period undermines community engagement as well as the full attention and participation of municipal councils and their leadership.

Please note that the London North Centre Federal New Democratic Party EDA has consulted with our colleagues in the London Fanshawe and London West NDP EDAs. Our executive believes that both associations, in their separate submissions to the Commission, identify potential boundary solutions that satisfactorily address the issue of three urban ridings for the City of London. The Commission should consider these proposals during its deliberations.

On behalf of the London North Centre Federal Electoral District Association, I thank the Committee for its attention and its work in supporting our democratic system of government.

Sincerely,

John Mombourquette

President, London North Centre Federal New Democratic Party Electoral District Association

London ON